TOKYO (Nikkei)--Mitsui & Co.'s net profit is expected to tumble 15% to 350 billion yen in the year through March on weak demand for natural resources and falling income from foreign units, The Nikkei learned Wednesday.

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. said Wednesday that group net profit tumbled 73% to 83.4 billion yen in the April-December period because of big losses on its stockholdings and poor earnings at group firm Daiwa Securities SMBC Co.

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Several overseas funds have been established recently to pursue deals in a part of the world that has remained relatively unscathed by the financial crisis, but they are largely sticking to the sidelines until the environment improves.

TOKYO (Nikkei)--The operator of the Uniqlo casual clothing chain will conduct a tender offer for Link Theory Holdings shares with an eye toward eventually making the high-end women's clothier a wholly owned subsidiary.

NEW DELHI (Nikkei)--Toyota Motor Corp. is scaling back plans for its second Indian factory, delaying the start by a year and forgoing production of the Corolla compact sedan there, The Nikkei learned Wednesday.